As a lifelong fan of the Mario and Luigi series, I must say that my brief encounter with Brothership left me thoroughly impressed. The game manages to strike the perfect balance between staying true to its roots while introducing fresh, engaging mechanics that cater to both newcomers and seasoned veterans alike.
The Mario and Luigi series started back in 2003 on the Game Boy Advance, quickly earning its place as a go-to choice for handheld gaming by offering an engaging role-playing game experience within the traditional Mario universe. Key elements like turn-based combat, character upgrades, and puzzle-solving were integral to the series, resulting in five games, with the last being 2015’s Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. Following a brief hiatus, Nintendo recently announced that a new console game featuring Mario and Luigi was under development for the Nintendo Switch. Last week, I had the opportunity to preview the upcoming game, called Mario & Luigi: Brothership, during a short session hosted by Nintendo.
Despite having only a short playtime with the game, it’s evident that the creators, who we know to include some members from the original development studio AlphaDream (though the exact producing studio remains unspecified), have a strong connection to the series. This is apparent as Brothership shares similarities in appearance, feel, and gameplay mechanics with the classic handheld series produced by Nintendo.
Upon starting Mario & Luigi: Brothership, players will find that they’ve left the Mushroom Kingdom behind. Similar to other recent Mario games, this adventure unfolds in a unique setting – the underwater world of Concordia. True to the Mario series, Concordia is fragmented, with various large islands not connected to each other. Each island presents its own challenges to overcome and new characters to encounter.
To navigate the world of Concordia, Mario and Luigi will journey across Shipshape Island, a vessel that functions as an island and serves as the central hub of the entire game. Throughout play, characters can be added to this island based on actions taken in other islands. Features such as shops for items, stations for upgrades, and characters strolling around and ready for conversation will gradually appear on the island as you delve deeper into the game.
In the divided land of Concordia, it falls on Mario and Luigi to reunite it by establishing bridges from each island to Shipshape Island. This connection is achieved by ascending the main tower on each island and opening it up, which then extends a wire (that strangely resembles an electrical plug) towards your boat, thereby linking the islands together.
In terms of discovery, Shipshape Island acts as a springboard for venturing into uncharted territories within the game. The boat follows a predetermined path on the map, but players have the freedom to adjust this route to approach specific islands more closely and even accelerate for quicker travel. As you get close to an island, you can then launch from a cannon to journey to the next destination for further exploration.
In terms of gameplay structure, Mario & Luigi: Brothership sticks closely to its previous versions. Players can traverse levels together as both characters, and switch between controlling either brother by pressing the “A” or “B” buttons on the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons. A fresh element introduced in Brothership is the option for Luigi to venture off independently at certain points during gameplay. Scattered throughout each area, you’ll encounter a green exclamation mark with an image of Luigi, indicating that it’s time for him to embark on his own mini-adventure.
By pressing the appropriate button, Luigi will be freed from Mario’s side, allowing him to gather the object that the game presents. This feature primarily serves as a helpful tool for collecting items without having to perform each action individually. However, it’s also enjoyable to observe Luigi being given tasks in the game.
Similar to previous Mario and Luigi games, each world offers various paths to traverse and adversaries eager to attack. The RPG aspects shine brightly in this game, as enemies roam the world and charge towards you upon first sight. You can dodge them or flee, but colliding with them (or jumping on them for a swift hit) initiates combat instantly, a mechanic that long-time players of Mario and Luigi games will find familiar.
In Mario & Luigi: Brothership, the combat system resembles previous installments in the series for those who are familiar. These battles occur turn by turn, and you’ll be able to counter enemy assaults by synchronizing your jumps with their attacks. While some dodging chances may seem simple, like timing a quick jump to land on an adversary, they can become quite tricky. In later stages of the demo, some enemies would execute feints by attacking and then immediately retreating before delivering a genuine attack. Although the timing wasn’t particularly challenging, keeping track of attacks for both Mario and Luigi creates difficult yet satisfying moments.
In Brotherhood, the timing matters for every attack. You’ve got several attack options to pick from, followed by a rapid sequence of button presses to perform them effectively. Since this game features Mario and Luigi, many attacks are coupled, so you need to combine button presses swiftly to deliver powerful blows. The basic moves were manageable, but the game gets more complex with special brotherly maneuvers that require coordination, similar to dodging. What makes Brotherhood’s combat truly exciting, though, is its innovative Plugs system!
In this game, the progression unlocks special abilities called Plugs. These abilities offer rewards for landing superior hits or provide a swift health recovery once a specific limit is passed. What sets Plugs apart, though, is their ability to interact with each other, resulting in exclusive combat effects and moments when combined.
Combining the “Kaboom Attack” (a wide-range assault that targets enemies) and the “Surprise Iron Ball” (which drops iron spikes on enemies after a well-executed strike), results in the “Iron Ka-Blast” ability. This means that any enemy caught within the Kaboom Attack’s radius will also experience an unexpected iron ball impact, making it an incredibly potent tactic against tougher opponents.
Introducing Plugs into Mario & Luigi: Brothership offers an intriguing enhancement to the gameplay, significantly improving combat by allowing customization according to preferred playstyle. It also incorporates a touch of “building crafting,” a feature commonly found in advanced RPGs, which is reflected in the way upgrades are managed within the game.
Similar to many role-playing games (RPGs), the game Brothership enables players to progressively increase their character attributes and enhance their base stats. Interestingly, while Mario and Luigi share a bond as brothers, each character can independently improve their unique stats. This flexibility allows you to customize Mario as a powerful brawler, while making Luigi more focused on health and stamina. However, it’s worth noting that once you make an upgrade, the changes are permanent, and there’s no option for “respec” or changing your decisions later on.
Still, the addition is another great element of RPG mechanics into the game, and combined with the Plugs system, makes for a surprisingly deep experience for those who have experience with these gameplay elements.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership Preview: Final Thoughts
Despite having a short playtime with Mario & Luigi: Brothership, it’s evident that much thoughtfulness went into its creation. The game world mirrors the liveliness and fun of previous versions, offering an abundance of side activities, puzzles, and characters – both familiar and fresh discoveries. Fundamentally, Brothership successfully enhances what made the original RPG elements enjoyable, while also catering to new players without sacrificing depth for those seeking a richer experience.
This game has a very similar feel to the Mario & Luigi series, and I found myself drawn in almost immediately following just a few straightforward battles. Fans of the original handheld games will find themselves quite comfortable here, even though it might not be the exact kind of Mario RPG that some hardcore fans are hoping for. Nonetheless, it was an absolute blast to play, and it seems like a promising addition to the franchise.
Note: We were given an opportunity by Nintendo to attend a special event, allowing us to write our Mario & Luigi: Brothership preview.
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2024-10-10 16:10